Smoke rising in Lochcarron is stopped by an overlying layer of warmer air.

In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a temperature inversion, i.e., an increase in temperature with height, or to the layer within which such an increase occurs. [1] Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1280, 388 KB) Summary Rising smoke in Lochcarron forms a ceiling over the valley due to a temperature inversion. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1280, 388 KB) Summary Rising smoke in Lochcarron forms a ceiling over the valley due to a temperature inversion. ... Lochcarron is a village in the west of the Scottish Highlands. ...

An inversion can lead to pollution such as smog being trapped close to the ground, with possible adverse effects on health. An inversion can also suppress convection by acting as a "cap". If this cap is broken for any of several reasons, convection of any moisture present can then erupt into violent thunderstorms. It has been suggested that Haze be merged into this article or section. ... A rolling thundercloud over Enschede, The Netherlands. ...

Normal atmospheric conditions

Height (y-axis) versus Temperature (x-axis) under normal atmospheric conditions (black line). The path D-C illustrates an inversion aloft.

Usually, within the lower atmosphere (the troposphere) the air near the surface of the Earth is warmer than the air above it, largely because the atmosphere is heated from below as solar radiation warms the earth's surface, which in turn then warms the layer of the atmosphere directly above it. Image File history File links Absinkinversion. ... Image File history File links Absinkinversion. ... Cartesian means relating to the French mathematician and philosopher Descartes, who, among other things, worked to merge algebra and Euclidean geometry. ... Cartesian means relating to the French mathematician and philosopher Descartes, who, among other things, worked to merge algebra and Euclidean geometry. ... Atmosphere diagram showing the mesosphere and other layers. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ...

How and why inversions occur

Under certain conditions, the normal vertical temperature gradient is inverted such that the air is colder near the surface of the Earth. This can occur when, for example, a warmer, less dense air mass moves over a cooler, more dense air mass. This type of inversion occurs in the vicinity of warm fronts, and also in areas of oceanic upwelling such as along the California coast. With sufficient humidity in the cooler layer, fog is typically present below the inversion cap. An inversion is also produced whenever radiation from the surface of the earth exceeds the amount of radiation received from the sun, which commonly occurs at night, or during the winter when the angle of the sun is very low in the sky. This effect is virtually confined to land regions as the ocean retains heat far longer. In the polar regions during winter, inversions are nearly always present over land. Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. ... For other uses, see Fog (disambiguation). ...

A warmer air mass moving over a cooler one can "shut off" any convection which may be present in the cooler air mass. This is known as a capping inversion. However, if this cap is broken, either by extreme convection overcoming the cap, or by the lifting effect of a front or a mountain range, the sudden release of bottled-up convective energy — like the bursting of a balloon — can result in severe thunderstorms. Such capping inversions typically precede the development of tornadoes in the midwestern United States. In this instance, the "cooler" layer is actually quite warm, but is still more dense and usually cooler than the lower part of the inversion layer capping it. A capping inversion is an elevated inversion layer that caps a convective boundary layer. ...

Subsidence inversion

An inversion can develop aloft as a result of air gradually sinking over a wide area and being warmed by adiabatic compression, usually associated with subtropical high pressure areas. A stable marine layer may then develop over the ocean as a result. As this layer moves over progressively warmer waters, however, turbulence within the marine layer can gradually lift the inversion layer to higher altitudes, and eventually, even pierce it, producing thunderstorms, and under the right circumstances, leading to tropical cyclones. The accumulated smog and dust under the inversion quickly taints the sky reddish, easily seen on sunny days. This article covers adiabatic processes in thermodynamics. ... Subtropical (or semitropical) areas are those adjacent to the tropics, usually roughly defined as the ranges 23. ... A marine layer is a cool, moist, foggy layer of air that can be several hundred feet to as much as two thousand feet thick associated with offshore weather patterns. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ...

Consequences of a thermal inversion

Winter smoke in Shanghai with a clear border-layer for the vertical air-spread.

Temperature inversion in Bratislava, viewing the top of Nový Most bridge

Normal view of Nový Most from old part of city

With the ceasing of convection, which is normally present in the atmosphere, a number of phenomena are associated with a temperature inversion. The air becomes stiller, hence the air becomes murky because dust and pollutants are no longer lifted from the surface. Image File history File links Sha1993_smog_wkpd. ... Image File history File links Sha1993_smog_wkpd. ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x712, 107 KB) en: the New Bridge, Bratislava, Slovakia; Temperature inversion; 11 Nov 2005 Author: --Ondrejk 23:33, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC) File links The following pages link to this file: Temperature inversion Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x712, 107 KB) en: the New Bridge, Bratislava, Slovakia; Temperature inversion; 11 Nov 2005 Author: --Ondrejk 23:33, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC) File links The following pages link to this file: Temperature inversion Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added... Nickname: Location of Bratislava within Slovakia Coordinates: , Country Region Districts Bratislava I-V City subdivisions 17 city boroughs Cadastral areas 20 cadastral areas First mentioned 907 Government  - Type City council  - Mayor (Primátor) Andrej ÄŽurkovský  - Headquarters Primates Palace Area [1]  - City 367. ... The Nový Most (New Bridge; formerly Most SNP - Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising) in Bratislava is a road bridge over the Danube in the capital of Slovakia. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (981x350, 123 KB) en: the New Bridge, Slovakia, Bratislava Source: Bratislava official web page, released to public File links The following pages link to this file: Temperature inversion ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (981x350, 123 KB) en: the New Bridge, Slovakia, Bratislava Source: Bratislava official web page, released to public File links The following pages link to this file: Temperature inversion ...

This can become a problem in cities where many pollutants exist. Inversion effects occur frequently in big cities such as Mumbai, India; Los Angeles, California; Mexico City ; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; and Tehran, Iran, but even also in smaller cities like Oslo, Norway and Salt Lake City, Utah which is closely surrounded by hills and mountains that together with the inversion effect bottle-caps the air in the city. During a severe inversion, trapped air pollutants form a brownish haze that can cause respiratory problems. The Great Smog, one of the most serious examples of such an inversion, occurred in London in 1952 and was blamed for thousands of deaths. , “Bombay” redirects here. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Nickname: Motto: Capital en movimiento Location of Mexico City in south central Mexico Coordinates: , Country Federal entity Boroughs The 16 delegaciones Founded c. ... Sao Paulo and São Paulo (city) redirect here. ... Location of Santiago commune in Greater Santiago Coordinates: , Region Province Foundation February 12, 1541 Government  - Mayor Raúl Alcaíno Lihn Area 1  - City 22. ... For other uses, see Tehran (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of Norway. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... The Great Smog also referred to as the Big Smoke, befell London starting on 5 December 1952, and lasted until 9 December 1952. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sometimes the inversion layer is higher so that the cumulus clouds can condense but then they spread out under the inversion layer. This cuts out sunlight to the ground and prevents new thermals from forming. A period of cloudiness is followed by sunny weather as the clouds disperse. This cycle can occur more than once in a day. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Example of a thermal column between the ground and a cumulus This article is about the atmospheric phenomenon. ...

The index of refraction of air decreases as the air temperature increases, a side effect of hotter air being less dense. Normally this results in distant objects being shortened vertically, an effect that is easy to see at sunset (where the sun is "squished" into an oval). In an inversion the normal pattern is reversed, and distant objects are instead stretched out or appear to be above the horizon. This leads to the interesting optical effects of Fata Morgana or mirage. The refractive index (or index of refraction) of a medium is a measure for how much the speed of light (or other waves such as sound waves) is reduced inside the medium. ... A fata Morgana, named after Morgan le Fay, the faery shapeshifting half-sister of King Arthur, is a mirage, an optical phenomenon which results from a temperature inversion. ... This article is about the optical phenomenon. ...

Similarly, radio (being part of the electromagnetic spectrum, like light) can be redirected by such inversions. This is why it is common to hear radio (and sometimes TV) broadcasts from otherwise impossible distances on foggy nights. The signal, still more than powerful enough to receive even at hundreds or thousands of miles or kilometres, would normally be refracted up and away from the ground-based antenna, but is now refracted back down instead. This phenomenon is called tropospheric ducting, sometimes shortened to tropo duct. Legend γ = Gamma rays HX = Hard X-rays SX = Soft X-Rays EUV = Extreme ultraviolet NUV = Near ultraviolet Visible light NIR = Near infrared MIR = Moderate infrared FIR = Far infrared Radio waves EHF = Extremely high frequency (Microwaves) SHF = Super high frequency (Microwaves) UHF = Ultra high frequency VHF = Very high frequency HF = High... For other uses, see Fog (disambiguation). ... In telecommunication, signalling (or signaling) has the following meanings: The use of signals for controlling communications. ... “Miles” redirects here. ... “km” redirects here. ... This article refers to refraction in waves. ... A yagi antenna Most simply, an antenna is an electronic component designed to send or receive radio waves. ... For other uses, see Phenomena (disambiguation). ... What is believed to be the worlds largest antenna system designed for receiving distant 88–108 MHz broadcast FM signals is located in southern Sweden. ...

In addition, when an inversion layer is present (for example early in the morning when ground-level air temperatures are cool, and high-level air temperatures are warmer), if a sound or explosion occurs at ground level, the sound wave can travel much further than normal — the sound is refracted by the temperature change at the boundary and it undergoes total internal reflection. Much of the sound is thus trapped under the layer and the sound can travel much greater distances than normal. The straw seems to be broken, due to refraction of light as it emerges into the air. ... The larger the angle to the normal, the smaller is the fraction of light transmitted, until the angle when total internal reflection occurs. ...

Inversions at sunrise or sunset can cause a "green flash": a refraction of the sun's light which isolates the green portion of its spectrum, usually visible for a few seconds. Green flashes and green rays are rare optical phenomena that occur shortly after sunset or before sunrise, when a green spot is visible for a short period of time above the sun, or a green ray shoots up from the sunset point. ...

The shockwave from a nuclear explosion will bounce off an inversion layer in much the same way as it bounces off the ground in an air-burst and can cause additional damage as a result. This phenomenon killed three people in the RDS-37 nuclear test. It has been suggested that Nuclear explosive be merged into this article or section. ... RDS-37 was a Soviet name for their first nuclear test of a true hydrogen bomb. ... A nuclear test explosion is an experiment involving the detonation of a nuclear weapon. ...

In an inversion, vertical motion in the atmosphere is suppressed because the atmosphere is stable. Hence vertical heat transport by eddies is suppressed; this reduced (downwards) heat transport leads to further cooling of the lower surface. This can lead to an effective decoupling of the atmosphere from the surface in extreme conditions, such as may be found in Antarctica during the polar night, where inversions greater than 25 °C commonly occur.